A report released by the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warns of the negative repercussion of pollution with plastic across the world.
The report revealed that pollution becomes more spreading in the arable soil and threatens food security, public health, and the environment.
According to the UN organization, the plastic waste littering on beaches and oceans entices awareness of environmentalists and government agencies.
However, warnings of the FAO indicate that soil the main source of food is polluted by bigger quantities of plastic pollutants.
Maria Helena Semedo, Vice-Director of the FAO, said that soil is one of the main recipients of particles of plastic resulting from agricultural activities in all countries across the globe.
It is known that the plastic pollutants in the soil are bigger than those floating in the oceans.
In the light of data published by the FAO, some 12.5 million tons of plastic products are used annually in agricultural activities every year. However, another 37.3 million tons are used in wrapping food products.
Also, sectors of producing crops and livestock consume at least 10.2 million tons of plastic which are followed by fisheries which use 2.1 million tons of plastic annually.
Figures of the FAO pointed out that Asia is the biggest consumer of plastic in the agricultural sector as countries of the continent consume about half of the plastic in the world.
Semedo stressed that demand for plastic in agriculture increases steadily yearly.
Growers of crops use plastic in covering soil to fight the harmful weeds, sustain growth, lengthen seasons, and increase productivity.
Only 80% of 6.3 billion tons of plastic products were disposed of correctly during the years following 2015.
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